


The boy next house

by Linknai



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Gay Male Character, High School, M/M, Overprotective
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-23
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2018-11-18 02:41:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11282085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linknai/pseuds/Linknai
Summary: Ludwig is just a normal boy, living a normal life with his big brother and grandfather, but one day a russian family moves to a house right next to Ludwig's and a boy named Ivan is very interested in him, however Ludwig's big brother Gilbert is very overprotective of his little brother and he doesn't like the russian family.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first fanfiction and I hope you like it. Also a friend of mine helped me a lot so THANK YOU!!!  
> English is not my native language so if you see any mistakes please tell me and enjoy! :)

Ludwig Beilschmidt was 16, he came from Germany to the US when he was 7 years old with his brother Gilbert and his grandfather Klaus. Gilbert is very protective over his little brother, more protective than Klaus and every time Ludwig would get in trouble or he was dealing with a problem, his big brother would always be there for him.

Ludwig’s life was normal, he had friends, was good at school and his family was very nice to him (at least when he wasn't in trouble). But everything changed when a Russian family moved to a house right next to Ludwig's house.

The Russian family was a little similar to Ludwig’s family, it had a grandfather named Mikhail. But Mikhail had three grandchildren two girls and one boy. The older of the trio is Yekaterina, in the middle was Ivan and the younger one was Natalia.

To Ludwig they were a little weird, specially Ivan who entered in the same class as Ludwig’s. The Russian was always smiling for some reason and he seemed to look at Ludwig a lot which made him very uncomfortable. His friends Feliciano and Kiku told him not to worry about him because after all he just arrived here and maybe he just wanted some friends.

One day Ludwig was walking back to his home when he saw Ivan alone, standing there looking at the flowers from a shop with his usual smile. He decided to approach Ivan because even though the Russian smiled a lot he could sense the sadness around him. “Uh… Hello. What are you looking at?” Ludwig asked, Ivan jumped a little and looked at Ludwig with a surprise look. ‘I think I scared him a little’ Ludwig thought. “Hello! I was looking at the sunflowers, they're beautiful, aren't they? Sunflower is my favorite flower!” Ivan answered “My older sister always gets sunflowers for me. Do you have a sister, Ludwig?” Ivan got closer to Ludwig, the german didn't mind much but it was a little uncomfortable for him. “I don't have a sister I have a brother, his name’s Gilbert.” Ludwig stated, Ivan made an “Oh…” sound and nodded “I have two sisters! An older sister named Yekaterina but I call her Katyusha and a little sister called Natalia, she's pretty but a little scary…”   
“I see… Oh no! I need to go home or my grandpa will kill me!” Ludwig exclaimed, his grandfather always told him to arrive at home at a certain time and if he didn't he would always be grounded. So Ludwig started to run but Ivan also started to run “Hey, wait for me! I didn't even ask if we could be friends! Heeyy!!” Ivan yelled trying to catch up with Ludwig. “I really need to run Ivan!! But if you want we can be friends!” Ludwig shouted turning his head to look at Ivan while he was running. “Yey!! Then I’ll see you tomorrow at school, okay? I’ll walk home now because I'm tired! Bye Ludwig!” Ivan called, slowing his pace and waving goodbye. Ludwig waved back and ran as fast as he could.

‘Well, he's not that weird’ Ludwig thought, entering his house, he managed to somehow get home in time, but he was exhausted. “Hey, bruder!!” Gilbert beamed hugging his little brother “how was your day? Was it awesome?!” Ludwig tried to get away from his brother but it was impossible. “It was fine! Let me go!” Ludwig ordered “Gilbert, stop hugging your brother and help me make dinner! And Ludwig put your bag in your room and get the plates on the table for me, okay?” Klaus commanded approaching the two. “Yes, grandpa.” The brothers answered.

Meanwhile Ivan couldn't be happier, he just made his first friend in America, he was starting to feel sad because everyone seemed afraid of him but now that he made a friend the sadness was gone. He passed Ludwig’s house and saw him through the window helping his grandfather along with his big brother. ‘I can't wait to see him tomorrow! Huhuhu~! I wonder if we can be more than just friends’ Ivan wondered, smirking a little. “I’ll do anything to stay with him, my heart chose him and I’ll stop anyone who gets in my way!” Ivan laughed and evil laugh and entered his house but taking a last look at Ludwig's house first. “I'll see you tomorrow, sunflower…”


	2. Chapter 2

Ludwig was walking to school in the morning, it was a sunny day but it was a little cold. He had a feeling that someone was watching him, he slowly looked around but found nothing, however the feeling was still there making the german a little apprehensive.

At the school gate he found Ivan standing there in a shy manner and probably waiting for someone. Ivan saw Ludwig and yelled “Hey Ludwig!!” With his usual smile, Ludwig looked at Ivan and hurried to where he was. “Hello Ivan.” Ludwig said, but out of nowhere Ivan hugged Ludwig with an intense force, making it difficult for Ludwig to breathe. “A-Ah! I-Ivan…! I can't… breathe!” Ludwig whined, his face getting a light shade of red. “Sorry! It's been a while since I hugged someone beside my sisters.” Ivan spoke releasing Ludwig who gasped for air. “It's fine… Just be careful next time, I'm already used to hugs, but I’ve never had a powerful hug like yours.” Ludwig informed, his cheeks still a little red, on the other hand Ivan was kinda embarrassed because of his deadly hug, he knew he was strong but sometimes he couldn't control his force. “I'll be more careful, I promise!” Ivan almost yelled, trying not to be awkward. “It's okay. We should go, the class is almost about to start and I want to say ‘hi’ to Feli and Kiku. You should meet them! They're nice!” Ludwig spoke with a little smile, he didn't realized but when he mentioned Feliciano and Kiku, Ivan’s aura became dark and he looked like he was ready to murder someone, but he changed back to normal when the german finished his sentence. “Oh! That's nice I can't wait to meet them!”

Ivan cheered falsely, he didn't want to meet Ludwig's friends, he knew that they would be scared of him and in the russian’s mind, he wanted Ludwig all to himself. ‘Ugh! Why do you have to put your friends in the way?... They’ll probably think I'm some weirdo and they'll tell Ludwig to stay away from me…’ Ivan wondered, his thoughts were interrupted when Ludwig asked him a question. “Why are you wearing a scarf? It's not that cold…”. “I like to wear scarfs, they keep my neck protected… It became a habit actually.” Ivan replied adjusting his scarf, Ludwig nodded and they started to walk to their class.

Once there, Feliciano and Kiku were already inside, having a conversation with each other. “Hey! Feli, Kiku!” Ludwig called, they looked at him and realized the german wasn't alone. “Let me introduce Ivan! We kinda became friends yesterday. Ivan, this is Feliciano...” Ludwig stated pointing at the Italian looking one. “… And this is Kiku.” The blond said pointing at the Japanese looking one. “It's nice to meet you Feliciano and Kiku! I'm Ivan!” Ivan giggled trying to be friendly. “I'm Feliciano, but you can call me Feli! I hope we become good friends!” Feliciano beamed, hugging Ivan ‘And I hope you go far away from my Ludwig... Wait did I actually thought that? Weird…’ Ivan pondered. “I'm Kiku Honda. It's a pleasure to meet you.” Kiku spoke bowing a little. ‘He's very polite...’ Ivan thought smiling at Kiku.

After the class, Ivan and Ludwig had to say goodbye to Feliciano and Kiku, Ivan was glad he could finally spend more time alone with Ludwig. Feliciano became a little scared of Ivan (which Ivan didn't want) and Kiku was normal, he actually liked the Japanese a little. Ludwig and Ivan were walking back home, Ludwig was happy and Ivan was also happy but he was a little annoyed. “So Ivan! Did you like Feli and Kiku?” Ludwig asked. “They're nice I like them!” Ivan lied, trying to sound friendly. ‘Hopefully you'll forget about them and stay with me… You're my first real friend and I don't want to lose you…’ Ivan thought with a smirk on his face, Ludwig looked at Ivan, saw the smirk and became a little scared. “That's good to hear… Now you won't be lonely anymore.” Ludwig trembled, Ivan noticed that the german was anxious and asked “Hey, are you alright?”. Ludwig laughed awkwardly. ‘Shit! He noticed!!’ Ludwig pondered, he looked away from Ivan trying to hide his fear and obviously he failed because Ivan got very confused. “…I'm alright!! Really!!” Ludwig almost shouted. “Okay!” Ivan beamed “You know… I really like you…” Ivan mumbled ‘What the hell am I saying! I don't think this is the right time!’ Ivan thought, but he already started it and he couldn't stop anymore. “Ever since I first saw you my heart skipped a bit… You're really special to me… You're the first friend I ever had. Back in Russia, everyone was scared of me and no one really accepted me as a friend. But you actually came to me and talked to me! That was the first time someone actually came to me. I'm so happy!” Ivan and Ludwig started to blush, Ludwig felt sorry for Ivan and Ivan was embarrassed, he couldn't stop himself. “I think… I think I’m in love with you…” Ivan whispered.


	3. Chapter 3

“I think… I think I’m in love with you…” Ivan whispered, hiding his face with his hands and moving away from Ludwig. “…What…? You're…” Ludwig spoke, trying to process everything, his mind went in a blank state like he was hypnotized. He couldn't think anymore, he was just frozen there, not moving at all. “…Ludwig? Are you okay?” Ivan said shaking the german a little. “Hello!! Ludwig answer me!!!” Ivan yelled, waving his hand in front of Ludwig’s face, but there was no answer. “LUDWIG WAKE UP!! STAY WITH ME!!” Ivan screamed in terror and slapped Ludwig’ face, making the blonde fall on the floor. “Oh no! I’m so sorry I slapped you too hard! I’m so stupid! I'm sorry! I'll go! I'm sorry!!” Ivan cried, running away and Ludwig just stayed there, not knowing what to do.

Arriving home, Ludwig was still shocked. Apparently Ivan was in love with him! But he didn't even know if he was gay and they just met yesterday! Ludwig stepped into the house, he was late however, he didn't care, he just wanted to think about this and sleep afterwards. “Hey bruder! You're late!” Gilbert laughed “You're lucky that our grandpa went to the market to buy some food. Don't worry little bro I won't tell him.” “Thank you. I'm going to my room.” Ludwig sighed, going to his bedroom, but Gilbert followed him, he noticed that there was something wrong with Ludwig. “Hey Lud, is something wrong?” Gilbert asked, Ludwig sat on his bed and threw his bag on the floor. “I'm fine, it's just… it's complicated.” Ludwig replied. “Someone… Uh… confessed to me…”.

Gilbert was in shock, his little brother was too young to date, he couldn't allow this yet! ‘If the girl is cute I'll allow it but if she's weird I'll have to step in.’ Gilbert pondered “…So! Who's the girl? Do you like her? Is she cute?” Gilbert questioned, Ludwig was embarrassed, he didn't know if he would tell him the truth or not. ‘I should tell him though…’ Ludwig thought. “… Actually… It's a boy…” Ludwig mumbled, looking at his brother and becoming more embarrassed. When Gilbert heard that a boy confessed to his little brother he stayed still not moving a single muscle. ‘Ludwig is gay…? How did I not notice this before!!!?’ Gilbert screamed in his head “Gil…? Are you alright? Are you dead? Hey!! Answer me!!” Ludwig called, he was now in front of Gilbert waving his hand in front of Gilbert’s head. Gilbert grabbed Ludwig's arms that was waving at him, he and Ludwig sat on the bed and Gilbert looked at Ludwig with a worried look. “Lud… You're gay…?” Gilbert spoke with caution, he didn't want to upset his brother. “What!? No-I don’t know… I'm so confused…” Ludwig whined, dropping his head on the pillow, he didn't know what to do, Ivan lived next to him and he literally could see the german through the window anytime he pleases. What if Ludwig said no to Ivan? How would Ivan react? Ludwig couldn't tell because he didn't even know Ivan very well. “Lud calm down. Who confessed to you?” Gilbert demanded, he wanted to help his brother in any way he could. “Ivan. He lives next to us.” Ludwig explained, raising his head and sitting on the bed again. “The Russian!? Really!?” Gilbert exclaimed, he didn't like the Braginsky family, in fact he hated them the moment he met them. Gilbert just couldn't allow his little brother to date the russian and he'll use Ludwig's confusion to his advantage. “Lud, I think you should just stay away from him. Just for the time being, because you still don't know your answer, right?” Gilbert spoke, Ludwig looked at Gilbert again, Gilbert’s ideia actually made sense to him, however Ivan wouldn't stay way from Ludwig that easily. “You may be right but I don't think Ivan will allow that… He said I'm his first friend and that's sad. I don’t want to avoid him like that.” Ludwig stated, despite Ivan being a little weird, Ludwig didn't want to hurt him. “But anyway thanks for listening and trying to help me bruder, I'll think of something.” Ludwig added, Gilbert got up, he didn't like this but he nodded anyway. “Alright then. But if you need anything, I'm always here to offer some awesome help.” Gilbert smiled and exited the room leaving Ludwig with his thoughts.

Meanwhile in Ivan’s house, Ivan locked himself in his bedroom, ignoring his sisters and grandfather who were worried about him because he entered the house crying and just locked himself in his bedroom. “Come on Ivan let us in please. What happened to you? We just want to help...” Mikhail said. “No! Go away! I want to stay alone!!” Ivan yelled, he was lying on his bed, crying. ‘I can't believe I've done this! I just made my first real friend, confessed to him and slapped him! I’m so stupid! Why did I confessed to him so soon?! He wasn't ready, I don't even know if he likes men! Now I'll be alone again… I don't like to be alone…’ Ivan wondered, he got up and looked through the window, he could see Ludwig’s room through his window and he saw Ludwig with his brother. ‘I wonder if they're talking about me… They're probably saying how weird and scary I am… I know that Ludwig's brother doesn't like me and my family, he's probably saying to stay away from me or something like that.” Ivan thought. In the meantime, Mikhail, Yekaterina and Natalia were outside of Ivan's room discussing about what happened. “I wonder what happened to him, I never saw him crying like that” Mikhail spoke. “Maybe we just need to give Ivan some time, I'm pretty sure he'll tell us eventually, right?” Yekaterina stated. “I'm sure that someone hurt big brother’s feelings and I'll never forgive this person! They'll regret ever hurting big brother like this!” Natalia hissed and went to her room. “Natalia revenge is not the answer and you don't know if someone really hurt him!” Yekaterina shouted, going after her sister. “Ivan… I'll leave you alone for now, but please do not forget that your sisters and I are here, okay?” Mikhail said close to the door of Ivan's room so Ivan could hear him ‘I hope that whatever is making Ivan sad, gets settled soon…’ Mikhail thought.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not posting this chapter earlier. Hope you enjoy this chapter! :)

Another day arrived and both Ludwig and Ivan were worried, they didn't want to go to school today, but they had to. ‘I should go early today… Then I won't find him in the way.’ They thought, both Ivan and Ludwig exited the house at the same time. Ivan saw Ludwig and almost screamed, meanwhile when Ludwig saw the russian, he became anxious, he didn't know what to say to him.

“… H-Hello Ivan…” Ludwig spoke with an awkward laugh, approaching the russian. Ivan was surprised, he thought the german would never talk to him again.

“G-Good morning Ludwig... H-How are you…?” Ivan asked, his sadness was slowly fading away, he was actually happy that Ludwig didn't ignore him. “I'm fine. I think.” Ludwig replied, he didn't want to ruin his friendship with Ivan, he had to discuss with Ivan about the confession or else it'll be impossible to have a normal conversation without the awkwardness. “Ivan, we need to talk. We'd better do this after class, for now let's pretend everything is fine, okay? We don't want to involve more people in this.” Ludwig stated and Ivan nodded.

“A-Alright then…” Ivan gulped, he was scared, but at least they were going to discuss about this situation.

The class was a bit awkward but, they managed to hide from Feliciano and Kiku. After class, Ivan and Ludwig were thinking of a place to talk and in the end they decided to go to Ivan's house because Ivan's family didn't know about the confession. Ludwig called his grandfather and made an excuse to go to Ivan's house.

Arriving at the house, Ivan and Ludwig met Mikhail who was surprised when he saw Ludwig. “Hello Vanya… Who’s this? Is he your friend?” Mikhail asked.

“Oh! This is Ludwig! He’s… Uh…” Ivan spoke, but he didn’t know if he should call Ludwig his friend, on the other hand Ludwig was quick and added “I’m Ivan’s friend. Nice to meet you, sir.” Mikhail smiled.

“Y-Yeah! He’s my friend…” Ivan muttered, he couldn’t believe that after everything he had done, Ludwig still called him a friend. 

“Oh! A friend? I’m so happy that my little Vanyusha found a friend! I’m Mikhail but you can call me Mika or Misha I’m fine with both.” Mikhail rejoined, he was so happy that Ivan actually found a friend, he wondered if Ivan would be depressed because no one would be friends with him.

“Uh… Ludwig and I will go to my room, okay?” Ivan spoke, pulling Ludwig close to him.

“Alright, I’ll make some cookies for you and bring to you soon with some Молоко(milk).” Mikhail reported and went to the kitchen. Ivan and Ludwig arrived at Ivan’s bedroom and they sat on the bed next to each other.

“Ivan, what’s moloko?” Ludwig asked, failing to pronounce the word correctly. “You mean Молоко? It’s milk!” Ivan giggled, Ludwig signed in relief and Ivan couldn’t help but laugh.

“Sorry, I thought it was something weird, I don’t understand Russian. But let’s talk about… You know…” Ludwig remarked and Ivan nodded.

“So… Abou yesterday… You confessed to me and… I really don’t know if I like you… You know, as more than friends…” Ludwig blushed and Ivan became a little sad. “But since I don’t know if I like you or not and I don’t want to ruin our friendship I thought of a solution that hopefully will resolve this problem.” Ludwig stated, Ivan was a little confused now, was Ludwig saying ‘yes’ ou ‘no’ to him? Ludwig wanted to stay friends with him or he wanted something else? Ivan was happy that Ludwig didn’t want to ruin their friendship, even though they were friends for only 2 days.

“So… What exactly is this solution you found? And… Before you even say that, I wanted to apologize to you. I really don’t know what exactly happened to me at the time… You were so nice to me and even before we met I was observing you… And I couldn’t help but think of you and… I’m sorry!” Ivan exclaimed, looking at Ludwig’s eyes and Ludwig was almost dying slowly from embarrassment. He didn’t know that someone could like him that much.

“It’s fine! That’s why I’m proposing-” Ludwig was cut by Ivan who almost screamed “You’re proposing to me!!? We’re going to get married!!? Oh my god my Дед(grandfather) is going to have a heart attack when I tell him!!” “Wait Ivan-” Ludwig tried to stop the russian, but it was too late. Ivan got up and started to jump like a child.

Meanwhile Mikhail entered the room with cookies and milk and was surprised again by Ivan who was jumping in the middle of the room.

“I’ve brought cookies with milk! Why are you jumping Ivan?” Mikhail asked and Ivan went next to his grandfather and shouted. 

“I’m going to get married,дед!!!” Mikhail gasped and dropped the tray that had the cookies and the milk.

“V-Vanya… Y-You’re… Getting m-married… Боже мой, помоги мне…(my god, help me) w-who’s…?” Mikhail trembled, he was almost passing out, he couldn’t believe someone was going to marry his little Ivan.

“It’s Ludwig!! He proposed to me!!” Ivan beamed, Ludwig didn’t know where to run, he was fainting like Mikhail.

“NO! It’s not t-that! I was going to tell m-my solution! I wasn’t going to propose to you! Mein gott, Ich glaube, ich werde sterben(I think I’m going to die)…” Ludwig stuttered, Ivan stopped.

“Oh… Sorry…” Ivan muttered and Mikhail sighed in relief. “Well… I uh… I’ll go get something to clean this up… And Ivan please, don’t scare me like that.” “Sorry…” Ivan mumble.

After Mikhail cleaned the spilled milk and Ivan said sorry for the ninth time, Ivan and Ludwig were sitting on the bed again eating cookies. Ivan was very embarrassed, when he heard the word ‘proposing’ he really thought that Ludwig was accepting his feelings. On the other hand, Ludwig was surprised and confused because he never thought someone could like him that much.

‘How can someone like me that much? I don’t understand… Is my solution even going to work? And he’s a boy just like me… What if my grandfather gets angry at me? And what about Feliciano and Kiku? Will they continue to be my friends? I just met Ivan, I don’t know him very well. Why am I doing this?’ Ludwig wondered and looked at Ivan who was eating his cookie with a smile. ‘Shit! I don’t have another option, do I?’ Ludwig thought. ‘Let’s do this!’.

“So… About my solution…” Ludwig spoke and Ivan looked at Ludwig, feeling a little uneasy.

“Since I don’t know whether I like you or not, we’ll still be friends. However, I’ll give you a chance… We’ll hang out more and after some time I’ll decide if I… You know…” Ludwig stated, he was embarrassed, he had no idea if this plan would work and he didn’t know how Ivan would react to this.

“Wait… Really!!? You’re giving me a chance!? Wow… No one ever gave me a chance before... Don’t worry! I won’t disappoint you! I’ll do my best!” Ivan beamed, he couldn’t believe that Ludwig was actually giving him a opportunity! ‘He’ll fall for me for sure I’ll show him!’ Ivan thought.

“Well… Since you agreed, I guess I should go back home… Uh… See you tomorrow?” Ludwig asked, getting up.

“Да(yes)! I mean yes! I’ll see you tomorrow, sunflower! Can I call you sunflower? You remind me of a sunflower!” Ivan giggled, he couldn’t hide his happiness.

“Well… sure…?” Ludwig answered. “See you tomorrow, Ivan.” Ludwig said and quickly exited the room, he gave Mikhail a farewell and ran to his house.

Meanwhile Ivan couldn’t be happier. ‘I can’t believe this! I’m so happy!... But wait… How do you get a person to like you?...’ Ivan wondered.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sooo sorry for not posting earlier! T-T But better later than never, right?  
> Hope you enjoy! ^^

Ludwig woke up at the usual time and got ready for another day at school. He was eating his breakfast when his brother approached him and asked. “So, I heard you went to Ivan’s house yesterday… What happened? Did you talk to him?”

“Yes, we did. We agreed on a plan…” Ludwig answered a little reluctant, he didn’t want to tell his brother about the plan, not yet.

“A plan? What’s that supposed to mean? Are you still going to be friends with him? Or are you actually dating him? You gotta tell me little bro!” Gilbert demanded, he couldn’t believe this! He had to do something about this, he wanted Ludwig to be happy but he just couldn’t allow him to stay with Ivan. He hated Ivan and that family, he didn’t want Ludwig to stay with them.

“Gil, calm down! I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you the plan. It’s private!” Ludwig spoke firmly, the plan was something that only Ivan and him could know, no one else.

“Fiiiine… But be careful! He’s way too weird, I don’t trust him and you’re too young to date!” Gilbert demanded, he didn’t want this, but for now he had to discover what is this plan that Ivan and Ludwig were hiding. Ludwig sighed, he was starting to feel annoyed about the hatred that Gilbert had with the Braginky’s.

“I can’t understand this, why do you hate Ivan and his family so much? I’ve met Ivan’s grandpa and he’s very nice, he gave me cookies and it was delicious!” Ludwig reported, Gilbert, however, groaned and almost yelled. “They’re not awesome at all! Ivan is a psycho! His older sister has giant boobs but she’s like a crybaby and Ivan’s little sister is a fucking demon!! Their granpa may be nice but the rest is a bunch of weirdos!”

Ludwig hadn’t met Ivan’s sisters yet, because of that he couldn’t say much, he could only defend Ivan and Mikhail. “W-well, I haven’t met Ivan’s sisters yet and because of that I won’t say anything else. But talking badly about someone is wrong, you know…” Ludwig remarked.

“Whatever…” Gilbert mumbled and exited the room. Ludwig sighed, he finished his breakfast and got out of the house.

Ivan was waiting Ludwig on the sidewalk, he had a little notebook on his hand, on the notebook’s cover it was written “Ideias to make Lud fall in love with me”. He was also holding a book with the title “Dating for dummies”. When Ludwig left the house, Ivan noticed and quickly hid the notebook and the book. Nevertheless Ludwig noticed Ivan trying to hide something from him.

“Good morning, Ivan. What are you trying to hide from me?” Ludwig said, approaching the Russian. Ivan jumped a little and he blushed so hard that his face looked like a tomato.

“O-Oh! Ludwig, g-good morning! I’m not hiding anything I swear! It’s just a book and a notebook, nothing to worry about! Hahaha…” Ivan trembled, he tried to laugh but it ended up being a nervous laugh. “Well, it’s fine if you don’t want to show it to me.” Ludwig added, Ivan smiled, he was happy that Ludwig was understandable.

They walked to the school and when they were entering the school, Ludwig saw his brother talking to someone, but he couldn’t see the person Gilbert was talking to. ‘What is he doing here? Isn’t he supposed to be working now?’ Ludwig wondered, he started to go to his brother, however Ivan stopped him by grabbing his hand. “Where are you going? The class will start soon.” Ivan spoke with concern.

“Oh! Yeah, you’re right. It’s just that I saw my brother talking to someone…” Ludwig reported, he was worried about his brother getting in trouble again, but for now he needed to go to his classroom. “He’s an adult, right? He can handle himself, you can ask him later what he was doing.” Ivan said with a smile, Ludwig nodded and they went to their classroom.

After the last class, Ivan and Ludwig were heading to the exit to go home, however, someone who was behind Ivan grabbed Ivan’s arm and pulled him to the ground. Ivan fell, Ludwig turned around and saw two people from another class.

“So, you’re Ivan, right? I’m Alfred, you better remember this name, commie!” Alfred smirked, Ivan tried to get up, but Alfred pushed him again and he fell once more.

“What do you think you’re doing, you idiot? Aren’t you supposed to be “the” hero?” One person next to Alfred said to him.

“Exactly, Arthur! That’s why I’m doing this! I’ve heard some bad things about you, commie!” Alfred laughed, approaching Ivan.

Ivan was in shock, he didn’t even know what are this bad things that Alfred mentioned. Ivan was already expecting the worst, but Ludwig stepped in and stayed in front of Ivan. “Hey! Why are you doing this!? Ivan haven’t done anything! You can’t just bully him!!” Ludwig shouted, he couldn’t just let someone bully Ivan like that!

“Get out of the hero’s way! Little Ivan needs to learn a lesson for the bad things he did!” Alfred demanded. “Are you serious about this? Whatever. Don’t complain if you get expelled.” The one named Arthur reported and then he simply walked away.

“I won’t be expelled! After all, no one is watching! Now, are you going to move or do you prefer to get Ivan’s punishment?” Alfred asked, however Ludwig didn’t moved a muscle.

“No.” Ludwig answered, Ivan was his friend and he won’t let Alfred punish him. Ivan was so surprised that he didn’t even know how to react.

“Fine!! Be that way then!!” Alfred yelled and punched Ludwig in the face, making him fall on the floor.

“LUDWIG!!” Ivan screamed “YOU PUNCHED HIM!!” Ivan quickly got up and started to attack Alfred. He pushed Alfred to the ground and then he stayed on top of him.

“FUCK! GET OFF OF ME!” Alfred shouted, but Ivan didn’t listen to him and began to punch Alfred over and over again.

“IVAN STOP!!” Ludwig yelled, Ivan stopped and looked at Ludwig, he got up silently and said “Sorry”.

“It’s okay, let’s just go. Quick!” Ludwig spoke and both Ludwig and Ivan started to run away.

“THIS IS NOT OVER, YOU HEAR ME!? YOU FUCKING COMMIE!! YOU’LL PAY FOR THIS!” Alfred screamed, still on the ground with his face covered in blood.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not dead! Sorry for not posting earlier...

“Ludwig, I’m so sorry! Your nose is bleeding! I’m so so sorry!” Ivan cried, Ivan and Ludwig were heading back to their homes and Ludwig’s nose started bleeding.

“It’s fine. I just need to sneak in the bathroom and clean the blood before my grandpa finds out.” Ludwig stated, his head hurt a little.

“I’m sorry… This punch was supposed to be mine.” Ivan muttered, he didn’t want Ludwig to get hurt and yet Ludwig had a nosebleed. Ivan felt weak, he felt that way because he couldn’t protect Ludwig, he did nothing when Ludwig was in front of him, protecting him from Alfred.

“It’s fine, Ivan... I was wondering… Why Alfred wanted to hit you or do whatever he wanted to do with you? Isn’t this strange? It’s been a while since you transferred here and Alfred is in another class, he couldn’t possibly know you… Could he?” Ludwig inquired, was Ivan hiding something from him? What if Ludwig became involved with a terrible person?

“… I really don’t know what he was talking about… One time I broke someone’s arm but that’s it…” Ivan spoke, Ludwig became terrified when he heard what Ivan did.  
“Y-You… Broke someone’s arm…?” Ludwig gulped. ‘How strong is he!? And why would he break someone’s arm!?’ Ludwig wondered. Ivan noticed how Ludwig was terrified.

“Ah! I’m not evil or anything! It’s just… That person used to bully me… And one day, I just couldn’t take it anymore… We fought and in the end I broke his arm…” Ivan muttered, he didn’t like talking about his past. However this was the only way Ivan and Ludwig could take to see why Alfred wanted to punish Ivan.

“… I see, I’m sorry you had to go through this… This person deserved a broken arm! Bullying is not ok! And I’m not letting Alfred bully you!” Ludwig ranted. “We need to figure this out! Ivan, do you know something? Something you did that could bring someone to hate you?” Ivan is his friend, even if he’s a little weird and very suspicious sometimes he doesn't deserve to be bullied.

“I-I really don’t know… I'm sorry!...” Ivan sniffed, Ludwig was doing everything he could to protect him, he never thought someone would do this for him.  
“There’s no need to be sorry, it’s fine! We’ll figure this out together, okay?” Ludwig assured the russian, Ivan became happy again, he hugged the german and whispered a “Thank you…”.

Ludwig blushed a lot, he awkwardly hugged Ivan back, but quickly pushed Ivan gently and walked a step back. “Sorry!... Uh… So… What are we going to do now?” Ivan asked.  
“…For now we need to be careful. Alfred is probably very angry because of you…” Ludwig replied. “Also, I need to ask my brother what he was doing at school, he could be related to Alfred trying to bully you.”

‘Ludwig’s brother..? But why?... Does Ludwig’s brother hate me?’ Ivan thought, but he nodded anyway. They arrived at their homes, however before Ludwig entered his house, Ivan grabbed Ludwig’s jacket to stop him.

“Is something wrong?” Ludwig inquired, Ivan was nervous and he started to blush a little.

“W-Well… Since it’s Friday… Are you busy this weekend? I-I was wondering if… You want to… I don’t know, do something with me?” Ivan trembled, he was scared Ludwig would say ‘no’. Ludwig was a little surprised, he noticed how Ivan was nervous and he smiled a little.

“Sure, I’m free this weekend. We could... Play videogames or go out somewhere…?” Ludwig spoke, he normally goes to Feliciano or Kiku’s house to hang out and since he didn’t know Ivan very well, he really didn’t know where to go with him.

“Oh! Play videogames is a good ideia! So, Wich house are we going mine or yours?” Ivan asked.

“…I think it’ll be better to go to your house.” Ludwig answered, he didn’t want Gilbert to be angry at Ivan.

“Okay! Then, Saturday at my house?” Ivan rejoiced, he couldn’t wait until Saturday.

“Yes. I’ll tell my grandpa and I’ll probably show up after lunch, is that alright?” Ludwig inquired, he was somehow a little excited to Saturday.

“Sure! I’ll go now! See you tomorrow, sunflower!” Ivan beamed and went to his house. Ludwig couldn’t help but smile. ‘He may be weird, but he’s kinda cut- Wait! Why am I wasting time here I need to talk to Gil! Oh! And I need to clean my nose…’ Ludwig thought.


	7. Chapter 7

Ludwig managed to sneak in the bathroom to clean up his nose without anyone seeing him. ‘Alright! The bleeding stopped, that’s good! And I think there’s no visible bruises either… Thank goodness! Now I need to find Gilbert.’ Ludwig thought, he exited the bathroom and went to his brother’s bedroom, but no one was there.

‘Where is he...?’ Ludwig wondered, suddenly he heard someone entering the house laughing and he recognized the laugh. Ludwig went to the living room and he found out that Gilbert was on a phone call. Gilbert noticed Ludwig and he made a sign for Ludwig to wait a little.

“Alright! We’ll hang out on Sunday?... Perfect! Then see ya later!” Gilbert smirked. “Hey there, little bro! You want something?”

“I want to ask you something.” Ludwig reported, he needed to pay close attention, he didn’t want to believe his brother would do something bad against Ivan, however Gilbert was very suspicious today, Ludwig couldn’t discard the possibility that his brother could be responsible for today’s incident.

“Sure! You can ask me anything!” Gilbert spoke, he and Ludwig sat down on the sofa.

“So, I saw you at my school this morning, you were talking to someone. Who were you talking to? Also, why were you there anyway? You were supposed to be working, right?” Ludwig asked.

“W-What!? You saw me? W-Well, I was talking to a friend, we usually meet there and the place I work isn’t that far, so usually we meet there to talk and stuff.” Gilbert explained, Ludwig still had doubts, he wanted to ask more questions.

“And who’s this friend of yours?” Ludwig questioned,maybe if he cornered Gilbert he’ll be able to get some information from him, however Gilbert started to laugh.

“Why are you bombarding me with questions? I never thought you cared about me that much! Don’t worry little bro, I, the awesome Gilbert know how to take care of myself!” Gilbert bragged and got up, Ludwig started to panic, he wanted more answers.

“Well, if you’re worried about me then I’ll tell you! I was talking to my buddy Toni! We were talking about meeting up this Sunday! Seriously, You’re way too cute!” Gilbert giggled, he pinched Ludwig’s nose and went to his room.

Ludwig didn’t liked when his brother pinched his nose, but he couldn’t protest about it now, he needed to think about this. ‘He was talking to Antonio, the guy from Spain… I don’t think Antonio knows Alfred… Damn it! Maybe this was just a coincidence? Hell, I don’t think Gilbert knows Alfred as well! But my brother has a motive to make Alfred bully Ivan, I think… Ivan is from Russia, I don’t think someone from his past could do that… Assuming that someone told Alfred to do it. And I guess I’m 100% sure that Alfred didn’t met Ivan before… Fuck! Who’s behind this!... Wait!! Could it be…’ Ludwig’s thought was interrupted by Klaus.

“Hey! Are you daydreaming? You’ve been staring at nothing for a while and you didn’t even said ‘hi’ when I arrived here… You ok?” Klaus asked with a worried look.

Ludwig jumped and almost fell from the sofa. “G-G-Grandfather!! I-I didn’t notice you! Sorry! I was daydreaming! Hahaha…” Ludwig spoke with a weird laugh.

“…Alright… I’ll… Go make dinner.” Klaus murmured and quickly went to the kitchen. Ludwig was red from embarrassment. ‘Damn it! This was way too awkward!’ Ludwig thought and walked to his room. Once there, he sat on his bed, sighed and looked through his window. He could see Ivan’s room, the lights were on but there was nobody there. ‘I wonder if he’s preparing for tomorrow… He was so happy that I accepted his invitation…’ Ludwig thought, suddenly Ivan came into view carrying a box, he placed the box on his bed and started to search for something.

‘What is he searching?’ Ludwig wondered, Ivan was taking a lot of things out of the box, some magazines, clothes, some toys and a large knife. He picked the knife and smiled, he started to say something and Ludwig managed to read his lips.

“I remember this knife, grandpa said it belonged to my father, he used to hunt animals and he always carried this knife. I like this knife, I could do a collection of knifes!... But then again, everyone would think I’m a creepy person…” Ivan spoke with a sad smile, he put the knife away and resumed his search.

‘Interesting… I’m glad I practiced lip reading… So Ivan’s father liked to hunt animals… I wonder if his parents died in an accident like my parents…’ Ludwig imagined, he got up from his bed, dragged his chair next to his window and sat on the chair to observe Ivan.

Ivan was still searching for something in the box, he picked a sunflower made of plastic and he hugged the fake sunflower. “I remember this sunflower! It is fake... But my big sister gave it to me! It really cheered me up when I was sad!” Ivan beamed, he placed the sunflower on a nightstand next to his window and he noticed Ludwig watching him. Ludwig quickly jumped from his chair and fell to the ground embarrassed. Ivan blushed a little and laughed.

‘I can’t believe this! Ludwig was actually watching me?! I… Wow…’ Ivan thought smiling.

In the meantime, Ludwig was dying from embarrassment. “Fuck! I’m so stupid! Damn it, damn it, damn it! He wasn’t supposed to see me! Why was I watching him anyway? I look like a weirdo!” Ludwig snapped, still on the ground with his hands covering his face.

“Uh… You okay, Lud?” Gilbert suddenly asked. “Why are you on the ground?”

“G-Gil- Why are you here?!!” Ludwig shouted, getting up but almost falling again.

“Wha… Well, grandpa ordered me to tell you that dinner is ready…” Gilbert reported confused about his brother’s behavior.

“O-Oh… I’ll be right there, just… Give me a minute.” Ludwig replied trying to recover from his embarrassment.

“Sure… Are you doing drugs? Because you kno-” Gilbert started to talk, however Ludwig quickly interrupted him. “I’m not! Go away!” Ludwig yelled.

“I’m going! I’m going!” Gilbert exclaimed and ran away.

‘What is happening to me?! Put yourself together Ludwig!!’ Ludwig thought, he closed the window curtain and went to the living room to eat dinner.

Meanwhile Ivan was almost ready for tomorrow, he couldn’t wait any longer, he was super excited. ‘I think everything is ready and good to go, I just need to read a chapter of the book ‘Dating for dummies’ and I’m good!’ Ivan thought.

“Brother…” Natalia, Ivan’s little sister, suddenly appeared behind Ivan and called him. Ivan jumped a little and turned around.

“Oh! Hello, little sis-” “what hell are you doing?” Ivan was interrupted by Natalia’s question.

“I was organizing some things for tomorrow!” Ivan rejoiced.

“Tomorrow? What’s happening tomorrow?” Natalia questioned.

“Uh… A friend of mine is coming here tomorrow! We’re going to play games! Hahaha…” Ivan answered with a nervous laugh, he liked Natalia but sometimes she can make Ivan scared.  
“Friend? Are you sure he’s your friend? If he’s like the others who hurt you I’ll kill him.” Natalia growled and exited Ivan’s bedroom.

‘… Holy moly, that was scary! I need to keep an eye on Natalia…’ Ivan thought ‘Now I need to read the boo-’. “Brother!” Ivan’s thought was cut off by Ivan’s big sister, Yekaterina.

Ivan yelped and so did Yekaterina. “I’m so sorry, Ivan! Did I scare you? I should’ve knocked the door!” Yekaterina trembled and Ivan sighed.

“It’s fine, I just thought Natalia- Well, nevermind. You want something?” Ivan asked.

“Oh, Ivan!” Yekaterina shouted an hugged Ivan. “I heard from our grandfather that tomorrow a friend is coming over, right?! I’m so proud of you! You managed to make a friend!! I can’t wait to meet him!” Ivan hugged his big sister back and beamed. “Yes! His name is Ludwig! He’s really nice!”

“I’m so SO proud of you! I feel like crying right now!” Yekaterina cried.

“Oh no! Don’t cry big sister!” Ivan tried to stop his sister from crying but it was too late. Yekaterina hugged Ivan tighter.

“My sweet Vanya is making friends I’m so happy!” Yekaterina sobbed, Ivan didn’t know what to do.

“Now, now you’ll soak Ivan’s clothes if you keep crying like that.” Mikhail stated, approaching the duo.

“Y-You’re right. I’m sorry, Ivan…” Yekaterina said, she moved away from Ivan, still crying.

“There’s no reason to cry, Katyusha… Also, dinner is ready! And I made dessert! Isn’t that sweet!?” Mikhail laughed trying to cheer Yekaterina up.

‘Did grandpa made a pun?’ Ivan wondered.

“You’re right! There’s no reason to cry! And I love sweet food! I can’t wait to eat it!” Yekaterina rejoiced and quickly exited the bedroom.

“Sometimes I wonder if your big sister is really older than you.” Mikhail spoked. “Come on now, Vanyusha! Let’s eat! I’m starving…” Ivan giggled and went with Mikhail to the living room.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!!! I'm so sorry for not posting in almost 6 months I had some problems and I didn't have time to write but everything is fine now!! ^^ I'll not give up on this fanfic! ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ

Saturday came and Ivan was very excited. He woke up early; he didn’t sleep much because of the excitement. The same happened to Ludwig, he was very excited but at the same time he was anxious because of what happened yesterday.

Ludwig woke up, sat on his bed and looked at the clock on the nightstand next to his bed. ‘Damn… 6 in the morning… I couldn’t sleep at all…’ Ludwig thought. ‘Well, grandpa is probably awake now; I should help him make breakfast.’ Ludwig went to the bathroom, he took a shower, brushed his teeth, got dressed and went to the kitchen.

Ludwig noticed that his grandfather wasn’t in the kitchen but he was in the living room seated on the couch, reading the newspaper.

“Oh! Good morning, Ludwig. You’re up early. Didn’t sleep well?” Klaus noticed Ludwig and asked.

“Good morning… Yeah, I couldn’t sleep much.” Ludwig responded, sitting on the couch next to Klaus.

“That’s not good, you won’t have enough energy for the day. You’ll go to Ivan’s house today, right?” Klaus remarked.

“Yes... Ivan’s super excited about it, I bet he’s already awake too.” Ludwig spoke with a tiny little smile.

Klaus laughed a little “You know, after you told me that you wanted to go to Ivan’s house and after you went to sleep, I called Ivan’s house and talked to his grandfather Mikhail. He seemed like a nice person… Oh! And besides Ivan, he has two more grandchildren, two girls… Have you met these girls?”

Ludwig was surprised that Klaus talked to Mikhail yesterday and answered. “No… I only met Ivan and Mikhail.”

“I see… Gilbert told me that he met the girls, he said something like ‘they’re way too weird’ and ‘I hate that family’. But he didn’t tell me the reason why he hates this family… Anyway, what I want to say is don’t worry about Gilbert. He hates the Brakinsky’s, but I think they’re nice people. I’ll have a talk with your brother later about this.” Klaus stated “Now, enough talking! Let’s make breakfast! You have a long day today, so you’ll need a lot of energy. Oh! And go wake your brother. I want everyone having breakfast together.”

“Alright!” Ludwig said with a smile and went to his brother’s bedroom.

In the meantime Ivan was reading his book about dating, it was too early in the morning, so not even his grandfather was awake. Time passed very quickly and when Ivan noticed it was already 9 o’clock in the morning. ‘It’s already 9 o’clock!! I need to check if everything is organized and I need to eat!’ Ivan thought.  
He quickly took a shower, brushed his teeth to perfection, got dressed, checked if everything was in order and went to the living room. Mikhail, Natalia and Yekaterina were already there getting the table ready for breakfast.

“Good morning, Ivan! Did you sleep well? I didn’t want to wake you up today because you need energy, right?” Mikhail saw Ivan and rejoiced.  
Ivan nodded and spoke. “I couldn’t sleep much… But it’s fine! I just need to drink a lot of coffee!”

“If you drink a lot of coffee you’ll explode of excitement!” Yekaterina laughed.

“Что!?(What) But then, what am I supposed to do?” Ivan asked full of worry. “I don’t want to look like a zombie when Ludwig comes here!”

“What about an energy drink?” Natalia suggested.

“An energy drink? We don’t have any energy drink… Well, for now just drink some coffee, but not too much, okay?” Mikhail advised.

“Alright!” Ivan exclaimed.

After breakfast, Ivan ran to his bedroom to read a little bit more of his book and his notebook. ‘It’s going to be complicated… But this is an opportunity that I can’t waste! I have to somehow show my love to him and show that I can be nice and cool and… Well I don’t consider myself nice and cool though… what if I’m not good enough…? No! I can’t let this get to me! Ludwig gave me a chance! I can’t waste it!! He’ll be my sweet precious sunflower! I’ll do my best!” Ivan thought. ‘It’s obvious that he won’t be in love with me right away. However depending on what’s going to happen, Ludwig may start to fall for me… Or start to hate me… I have to stop thinking about bad things… Hopefully everything will go well…!’ Ivan was hopeful that everything would go according to the plan, but the fear of something bad happening still haunted his mind.

Time passed and Ludwig just finished his lunch, he wondered if he should go now or if he should wait a little bit before going to Ivan’s house. ‘I think I’ll wait a little…’ Ludwig thought. After 20 minutes, Ludwig was in front of Ivan’s house, he was a little embarrassed and he reluctantly knocked the door.

“Oh! He’s here! Natalia don’t you dare scare the guest!” Ludwig heard someone, probably a girl, yelling. The German gulped, the door opened and Mikhail appeared.  
“Ludwig, we meet again! Come in, come in! Ivan is waiting for you!” Mikhail beamed, Ludwig entered the house and he noticed two girls standing in the living room. One of them was smiling a lot and the other was staring at Ludwig, observing him and Ludwig shivered a little.

“Oh! These are Ivan’s sisters! The taller one is Yekaterina and the little one is Natalia! Katya, Tasha, this is Ludwig, Ivan’s friend!” Mikhail stated.  
“I’m not little!” Natalia grunted and then she whispered. “… Nice to meet you, Ludwig…”

“So you’re Ludwig?!” Yekaterina asked and quickly pulled Ludwig to a hug. “You’re so cute!! I bet you’re smart too! Ivan’s so lucky to have such a nice friend! You’re nice, right? I bet you’re nice! I hope you and Ivan become best friends!” Yekaterina cheered and then she let Ludwig go. Ludwig was redder than a tomato, he didn’t except a hug out of nowhere.

Natalia smirked and Mikhail laughed. “Katya, Ludwig’s red because of you!”

“Oh no! I’m so sorry! A-Are you alright?” Yekaterina asked.

“I-I’m fine… Don’t worry about it…” Ludwig answered, still blushing.

“Ivan!! Your friend’s here!” Mikhail shouted, Ivan suddenly showed up, he ran, hugged Ludwig and almost knocked the German.

“Hello, Ludwig!! I was waiting for you! I’m so glad you came!” Ivan beamed; Ludwig tried to hug Ivan back and tried to not die from embarrassment.

“H-Hello, Ivan…” Ludwig muttered.

“Let’s go to my room! I’ve got a lot games we can play!” Ivan spoke with excitement and Ludwig nodded.

“I’ll make snacks! Do you like piroshky? I hope you do! Well, in any case I’ll make cookies as well. Have fun!” Mikhail exclaimed.

‘I never had piroshky before… I wonder what it tastes like.’ Ludwig wondered. Ivan and Ludwig went to Ivan’s bedroom, this time the bedroom had a TV, a videogame console and next to the TV there was a pile of games.

They sat on the ground and started to play a racing game. Ludwig noticed that Ivan was very good at this game. He tried his very best but Ivan won all the rounds.

“You’re way too good at this game! I couldn’t win at all!” Ludwig confessed and  
Ivan blushed. “R-Really? I mean, I’m not that good…”

Time passed and Mikhail delivered the snacks. Ludwig tried the piroshky and he liked the food. Mikhail became very happy when Ludwig said that he enjoyed the food.

It was 5pm and they were still playing videogame, however this time they were playing a fighting game and once again Ludwig lost all the rounds. “…I give up… You’re really good at this.” Ludwig sighed.

“I’m sorry… I should’ve played less seriously… I ruined your fun…” Ivan mumbled sadly. ‘Damn it… I didn’t realize that he was losing all the rounds. Ludwig will hate me now…’ Ivan thought.

“No it’s fine! I like a challenge! I’ll just have to train harder.” Ludwig said with a smile.

“Oooh, I get it! Then next time we play you’ll beat me for sure, right?” Ivan beamed.  
“I hope so. But you have to play seriously or it wouldn’t be fun to beat you.” Ludwig spoke and Ivan nodded with enthusiasm.

Silence suddenly took over the bedroom, Ivan couldn’t think of any topic to talk with Ludwig, he started to get nervous but Ludwig started to talk again. “Ivan… I’ll have to go home soon but… I need to talk with you about something.” Ludwig stated with a more serious tone.

“Oh! Is it about yesterday when I saw you staring at me?” Ivan giggled. “It’s no big deal! I actually thought it was cute!”

“N-No! It’s not that! I um...” Ludwig blushed. “I-It’s about school! I’m worried… Alfred probably wants revenge and we don’t even know who’s behind this or if there is someone behind this at all.”

“…Well, I know this situation is worrying, but you don’t have to worry about this! I’ll protect you!” Ivan assured the German.

“No! You’re the one who’s being threatened! It’s the other way around!” Ludwig sighed. “… And I don’t think we can tell the teacher… It could backfire since you punched Alfred…”

“He deserved it!” Ivan growled.

“Well, I think the best course of action is to stick together and try to find the reason why this is happening. We need to talk to some people and… For now our prime suspect is Gilbert.” Ludwig explained, becoming a little sad when saying who the prime suspect is.

“Are you sure that Gilbert would do something against me? Also, who are the people we need to talk to?” Ivan asked a little confused.

“Gilbert will be the prime suspect until we find information that he didn’t do it, he showed hatred when he talked about you. And we need to talk to Feliciano, Kiku and Arthur. Feli talks with everybody, maybe he knows something we don’t know, Kiku is very observant, so he could’ve noticed something and Arthur may be related to this.” Ludwig replied.

“Hmm… Okay. But enough talking about sad thinks! It’s Saturday and we should be enjoying it, right? Oh! Did you have fun today?” Ivan inquired.

“Y-Yeah… Well, I had fun today. I-It was nice…” Ludwig replied blushing a bit.

“Yey! I’m glad!” Ivan rejoiced. ‘I did it!!’ Ivan screamed in his head. “I hope we can do this again!” He continued with a smile.

“I-I hope so too” Ludwig murmured, still blushing. “W-Well, I wish I could stay here a little longer but I need to go…”

“Oh… Then see you on Monday? A-And… Can we go to school together?” Ivan asked, blushing a little.

“Sure! Actually, we should go to school and go home together from now on, it’s better than going alone, right?” Ludwig answered with a smile.

“Really?! Yey! I’m glad! Thanks, Ludwig.” Ivan beamed.

“There’s no need to thank me… We’re friends, right?” Ludwig spoke. “Well, I need to go… Oh! We should exchange numbers, so we can text each other if something happen.”

“You’re going to give me your cellphone number? Wow! This date went better than expected.” Ivan giggled.

“W-What? D-Date!?” Ludwig stuttered, he completely forgot that Ivan liked him. Ivan knew this wasn’t really a date but being with Ludwig and having fun with him made Ivan forget that this wasn’t a date at all.

“Oh! F-Forget I said that! It’s not-” Ivan started to talk, but was interrupted by Ludwig.

“N-No! It’s fine! I forgot that…That… Y-You… Well, I’ll be going now!!” Ludwig almost screamed and started to run to the door, his face completely red.

“Wait! You didn’t give me your number! And I didn’t give you my number! H-Hold on!” Ivan shouted running after Ludwig, he grabbed and pulled Ludwig’s arm.

“I-IVAN!!” Ludwig yelled, losing balance and falling on top of Ivan. Ivan fell as well.

“L-L-Ludwig…” Ivan trembled, Ivan was on the ground with Ludwig on top of him. He was now just like Ludwig, his face was completely red.

“I-I-Ivan…” Ludwig stammered, he could only see Ivan’s embarrassed face, he quickly got up and tried his best to not make eye contact with Ivan, or else he was going to lose it. Ivan got up as well, he grabbed a piece of paper, a pen and wrote his phone number.

“H-Here! It’s my phone number… Just send me a message and I’ll be able to get your number…” Ivan muttered, trying to get out of this embarrassing situation, he handed the piece of paper to Ludwig.

“A-Alright… Thanks.” Ludwig spoke, he picked the piece of paper and went the bedroom’s door. “S-See you on Monday…”

“B-Bye…” Ivan whispered.

Ludwig said goodbye to Mikhail and he quickly went home. He avoided his grandfather and his brother and went straight to his bedroom, his mind was blank, he couldn’t think at all, he just went to his bed and passed out.

And just like Ludwig, Ivan’s mind just couldn’t work, did that really happened? Ivan was confused, tired and extremely embarrassed. He just wanted to sleep and forget everything, but at the same time he didn’t want to forget this, he didn’t want to forget the feeling he felt when Ludwig was on top of him, so close to him. ‘Боже мой, (my god) what am I supposed to do now?’ Ivan thought.


	9. Chapter 9

Sunday passed very quickly, Monday arrived and it was time to go to school again. Ivan woke up with difficulty, he didn’t want to go to school at all, he wanted to sleep more in his comfortable bed, but he got up anyway, he had to apologize to Ludwig for making that embarrassing scene on Saturday. Even now, every time he thought about that, he starts to blush a lot.

Ivan got dressed and went to the kitchen to have breakfast; he was eating pancakes while watching a video on his phone when suddenly he received a message from a number he didn’t recognize.

‘Hello! It’s Ludwig. Sorry about Saturday, I freaked out a little bit… I’ll be waiting for you on the sidewalk so we can go to school together. See you soon.’

Ivan immediately stopped everything he was doing and started to type a reply.

‘Hi Ludwig! There’s no need to be sorry… I should be the one apologizing to you… I was the one that caused all of this in the first place. I hope you can forgive me… See you soon.’

Ivan reluctantly pressed the send button and sighed. ‘I hope this was a good apology.’ He thought.

Ivan finished his breakfast, he grabbed his backpack and made his way to the front door.

“I’m going to school!!” Ivan yelled.

“Alright Vanya!! I can’t give you a goodbye kiss today, Natalia doesn’t want to wake up!!” Mikhail shouted.

“I’m not a baby!!” Ivan exclaimed feeling a little annoyed.

“Even if you turn 81, I’m still going to do that!!” Mikhail yelled.

Ivan groaned and exited the house, the first thing he saw was Ludwig standing on the sidewalk reading a book. Ludwig noticed Ivan and immediately closed his book.

“Good morning Ivan.” Ludwig greeted the Russian.

“Good morning… W-What are you reading?” Ivan asked, he was surprised how Ludwig appeared to be so calm, especially after the incident on Saturday. ‘Why is he so calm? He couldn’t forgive me that easily, right? This is making me nervous…’ Ivan thought.

“Oh! This is just a book about history.” Ludwig answered. “So, shall we go?”

“Yeah…” Ivan acknowledged. Ivan and Ludwig started to walk to school, the walk was very quiet, neither of them tried to start a conversation and Ivan was getting more and more nervous.

“Oh! I forgot to tell you!” Ludwig began, making Ivan jump a little. “We need to be very careful today because of Alfred. Also we need to talk to Feli and Kiku, we’ll talk to Arthur if we don’t find information, okay?”

“Alright…” Ivan spoke, he completely forgot about Alfred, now he was starting to have a bad feeling about this.

“Ivan, are you alright? You seem down today…” Ludwig asked with a worried look. ‘Did something happen to him? He’s usually- OH!! The incident that happened Saturday!! He even sent me a text apologizing to me! I should say to him that I’m not mad or anything…’ Ludwig thought, he got over the incident very quickly (even though he blushes every time he thinks about that) because of all the crazy things Feliciano has done to him, so he was a little accustomed to it.

“Huh? I’m fine! Don’t worry about it…” Ivan replied, avoiding eye contact.

“I see… About Saturday… You don’t have to worry about it. It was embarrassing… But it’s fine! I know you didn’t mean to do that on purpose. And I freaked out a little bit which only made it worse… But it’s fine really! It’s not your fault.” Ludwig stated with a smile, Ivan immediately blushed.

“W-What? How did you… Can you read minds?” Ivan asked, he couldn’t believe that Ludwig saw right through him what was happening.

‘I’ve heard that question before…’ Ludwig thought and answered. “No, I can’t Ivan.” The mood suddenly became better, Ivan was his usual self again and they talked the rest of the way to school.

After all the classes, Ludwig asked Feliciano and Kiku to meet him in a cafe not far from school. Ludwig and Ivan were very careful to not encounter Alfred again and luckily they managed to sneak out of the school and head to the cafe without any problems.

“Ludwig-san, why did you asked us to meet here?” Kiku asked, a little curious.

“Are we hanging out? It’s been so long since we last hung out!” Feliciano beamed.

“Actually… I need to ask you something.” Ludwig began.

“Oh! What is it, what is it?!” Feliciano asked, he was very excited now.

“Well… Do you guys know a person named Alfred? If yes, did you notice something odd about him in the last couple of days?” Ludwig questioned, paying close attention for the replies.

“Alfred? Oh! I talked to him once! He was nice, he says that he’s the hero that’ll save the world or something like that!” Feliciano answered.

“Yes, I know Alfred-kun. We play videogames sometimes…” Kiku responded. “But I haven’t noticed anything unusual about him…” Feliciano nodded after hearing Kiku. “Yep! I didn’t notice anything too!”

“I see…” Ludwig muttered. ‘This is not good, if they don’t know anything, then my only option now is to talk to Arthur…’ Ludwig thought.

“Kiku, you know a little about Alfred since you two play videogame sometimes, right? Do you know if he has something against communism? Or something like that?” Ivan asked, Ludwig was surprised about that question, he hasn’t thought about that.

“Communism? I don’t think he knows what communism is…” Kiku replied.

“Oh…” Ivan mumbled and everyone started to laugh.

“I assume he’s not very intelligent…” Ludwig stated and Kiku just nodded.

“But why are you asking about him?” Feliciano questioned, he was very curious.

“There’s no reason in particular. It’s just curiosity.” Ludwig lied, he wasn’t very good at lying, but he didn’t want to involve more people into this.

“I see…” Feliciano spoke, he notice something odd about Ludwig. Ivan notice that Feliciano wasn’t really buying the lie and quickly started to talk.

“Oh! Ludwig look at the time! You don’t want to be home late, right?” Ludwig looked at his watch, he noticed that it wasn’t the time to go home yet and he became a little confused.

“What are you talking about? It’s not time to go home yet, we can stay and chat a little more, right? It’s been a while since I hung out with Kiku and Feli.” Ludwig stated and Ivan sighed. ‘Can’t you realize that Feliciano is not buying your lie?! Well, at least I tried…” Ivan thought, he was expecting the worse.

Feliciano was ready to question Ludwig about the lie however he suddenly realized something. ‘This is so weird… Ivan and Ludwig became friends not long ago and yet it seems that they’re so close… Like they know each other for so long… Ludwig acts a little different when he’s interacting with Ivan, it’s very hard to notice but I know he does! This is very weird… It’s like they’re a-’ Feliciano gasped, the lie was forgotten completely, he had to confirm what he thought first.

“Lud! You’ve known Ivan for a little while, right?” Feliciano asked, Ludwig was surprised because of the question and he nodded.

“Then, how are you two so close!? It’s not that it’s something bad… But since I know you for a long time, I have to know! Are you two a couple or something?” Ivan and Ludwig chocked, Kiku quickly picked his phone and started to type furiously, like he was excited about something and Feliciano simply tilted his head a little and stared at Ludwig.

“N-No! We’re not a couple! We’re not-” “Yet!!” Ludwig spoke but he was interrupted by Ivan who quickly beamed and then gasped, covering his mouth. Feliciano gasped, so it was true after all, Ludwig and Ivan were together, he felt a little hurt but he was also happy that Ludwig found someone. In the meantime Kiku was still typing on his phone, even more excited than before.

“I-Ivan!! O-Oh no! Look at the time! It’s time to go, see you guys tomorrow!! Bye!!” Ludwig shouted and started to run away. However he totally forgot his bag.

“Ludwig waaait! You forgot your bag!” Ivan exclaimed, going after Ludwig with Ludwig’s bag. The German quickly turned around and without looking and thinking, he grabbed the first thing in front of him. Instead of grabbing his bag he grabbed Ivan’s wrist.

“I’m not your bag, you know…” Ivan joked, he was blushing just a little. Ludwig wanted to scream, however he quickly started to drag Ivan with him, he just wanted to get out of this situation.

“H-Hey! What are you doing?! You want me to go with you? Why are you not saying anything? L-Ludwig?” Ivan tried to talk to Ludwig but he was ignored. Once they were out of the cafe, Ludwig gave one big sigh.

“I swear I’m going to pass out one of these days if this keeps happening…” Ludwig spoke.

“Pass out!? That’s bad!” Ivan said with concern.

“Ivan…” Ludwig started, he sighed again and continued. “You can’t say things like that! I know you somehow like me… But we can’t tell anyone about this, it could lead to a misunderstanding!”

“Oh… Sorry… I just like you so much that sometimes I slip up and… But you’re right, we’re not a couple and I don’t know if you like me back… I’m sorry… I should probably go…” Ivan muttered, he was a little sad, he wished he could tell everyone that Ludwig belonged to him, but they’re not a couple, they’re just friends.

Ivan started to walk away but Ludwig forcefully grabbed Ivan’s arm to stop the Russian. Ivan was confused at first; however he quickly realized why Ludwig did that. Alfred was before them.


	10. Chapter 10

Alfred was right in front of Ivan and Ludwig, it was clear that someone (in this case Ivan) had punched his face.

“Well, well, well! Look what we have here!” Alfred smirked. “This time you’ll pay for sure!”

“We don’t want trouble!! Please, can’t you just tell us what’s wrong instead of using violence!?” Ludwig bargained, he was worried that Ivan would get out of control and beat Alfred up or Alfred would ended up beating Ivan up.

“You wanna do this the diplomatic way? Seriously!? After all the shit this commie did to me! I don’t think so!” Alfred exclaimed, he started to approach Ivan, Ludwig didn’t know what to do and Ivan was just staring at Alfred. Ludwig didn’t like this but he was ready to use force if needed, he just couldn’t let Ivan be bullied.

“Don’t worry sunflower, I’ll take care of this. Trust me.” Ivan spoke calmly, Ludwig knew right away that he wasn’t calm at all, he was angry.

“Sunflower!? Are you two lovers or something?” Alfred laughed. “I can’t believe this!” While Alfred was laughing, Ivan quickly grabbed Alfred’s arm and threw him on the floor, pinning him.

“What the- Get off of me!!!” Alfred yelled  
.  
“Huhuhu~ You really are stupid! It’s so easy to distract you!” Ivan giggled.

“Wait… Then you called him sunflower to… Distract me?!!” Alfred shouted.

“Да(yes)!!” Ivan smirked.

Ludwig was speechless, the only thing he could think at the moment was how amazing Ivan was for stopping Alfred without using violence.

“Now that you can’t move, you’ll answer some questions. First, did Gilbert paid you or promised you something to bully me?” Ivan questioned.

“W-What? How-uh… No…” Alfred obviously lied.

“If you lie, I’ll break your arm…” Ivan stated coldly, squeezing Alfred’s arm.

“Okay! Okay! Don’t break my arm! Yeah, he paid me! Satisfied? Can you get off of me now?” Alfred responded.

Ludwig gasped, he couldn’t believe his own brother would do something like this. Ivan was also surprised, Ludwig’s brother wanted to hurt him, perhaps even separate Ludwig from him. While Ivan and Ludwig were shocked about the new information they got, Alfred managed to get free and pushed Ivan with all the strength he had and Ivan fell on the floor.

“Gilbert told me to hurt you and tell some lies to get you away from Ludwig. But I guess I failed, not that it matters, in the end I still have money to buy a lot of food!” Alfred beamed. “Well, I guess this is goodbye. I won’t bully you anymore, a hero doesn’t do that! So don’t worry! Besides, you’re too strong… Sorry about threatening you guys! See ya!” Alfred started to walk away, waving goodbye.

Ivan and Ludwig just stayed in place for a little while, Gilbert was the mastermind after all. Ivan was the one that broke the silence.

“What a hypocrite! A hero doesn’t bully people but he does it anyway! Stupid American…” Ivan ranted, getting up. “So… What are we going to do?”

“I… Don’t know.” Ludwig answered. “We know who the culprit is but… I need to think…”

“I understand… You feel betrayed, right? I know the feeling… Let’s go home, think about what you want to do and… I-If you n-need to talk to someone I-I’m here for you… You can message me…” Ivan stuttered, blushing a little bit.

“You’re right. I need to think about this, he’s my brother and… I guess I feel a little betrayed. Thank you, Ivan. I’ll probably message you later about this.” Ludwig said, smiling a little.

Ivan smiled back and both Ivan and Ludwig went home. When Ivan arrived home, he was happy but at the same time he was worried and a little angry.

‘I feel like I’m making progress with Ludwig but his brother is going to be a problem…’ Ivan thought. ‘Why does he hate me so much? I’m not doing anything wrong! Is he jealous of me? No, that can’t be it… Damn it! I’m not going to let Gilbert interfere, not when I found my first true friend and potential boyfriend! No way! If he wants war then I’ll bring war to him!! I’ll not let him do this to me! I’ll not! If he tries to separate me from my sunflower again I swear I’ll make him pay! I’ll make him pa-’

“Ivan? Are you alright? You seem very angry.” Ivan’s thoughts were interrupted by his grandfather Mikhail.

“Oh! It’s nothing, I was just thinking about something!” Ivan replied, faking a smile.

“Hmm… I know you’re faking that smile. What’s wrong?” Mikhail asked in a serious tone.

“It’s just school, you know? There was a math question that was really hard and I was thinking about it…” Ivan lied.

“Oh! Math wasn’t my favorite subject… But if you need help I’m here!” Mikhail cheered, he had no clue that Ivan was actually lying.

“Thanks!” Ivan beamed, he went to his bedroom and sighed. ‘I have to calm down… If I use violence and hurt Gilbert, Ludwig will hate me! Oh well… Guess I have to wait for Ludwig now…’ Ivan thought, looking at his phone.

Ludwig was really troubled, he really didn’t know what to do. He was in his bedroom, lying down on his bed. He knew Gilbert hated Ivan, but to do something like that was surpassing all the lines.

‘What am I supposed to do now? Ugh! I wish there was a manual for this! I could tell grandfather but Gilbert is very manipulative and I don’t think it would work… I could confront him about this but who knows what he’ll do next! If I don’t do anything I’ll feel bad and Ivan might do something to Gilbert…’ Ludwig thought. ‘Maybe… I should discuss this with Ivan?’

Ludwig picked his phone and started to type a message to Ivan. ‘Hey Ivan! I thought about the thing that happened today and I have no idea what to do now. So… I think we should discuss this together… Since you’re also involved in all of this as well.’ Ludwig pressed the send button and waited.

Meanwhile Ivan was in his room waiting for Ludwig to send him a massage. When he was almost sleeping, his cellphone made a noise Ivan knew well and he quickly picked his phone. He read Ludwig’s text and started to type a reply.

‘Sure thing! I’m sure we can think of something, right? So where do you want to start?’

‘Well, first of all… Do you have any ideas?’

‘I have some ideas… But I’m sure you will not like it :/’

‘…Okay…’

‘Why don’t you just confront him?’

‘I could… But I have no idea how he’ll react. Besides he’s very stubborn there’s no way he’ll give up that easily.’

‘Even if your grandfather scold him?’

‘Yep.’

‘…’

Some time passed and Ivan wasn’t replying and Ludwig was getting worried.

‘Ivan you still there?’

‘…’

‘Ivan?’

‘I’m still here I’m just thinking.’

‘Oh! Alright.’

‘So you don’t know what to do, right?’

‘No…’

‘Then leave this to me.’

‘What?? No way! There’s no need for violence!’

‘Who says I’m going to use violence?’

‘Then what are you going to do?’

‘I have an idea to intimidate him. Or to at least make him feel a little bad for what he’s done. Hopefully he won’t bother us after this.’

‘What’s the plan?’

‘I’m still working on it but I’ll tell you once I complete it. I’ll need you for this plan to work.’

‘Okay… But please don’t use any kind of violence.’

‘Don’t worry I won’t.’

‘Then once you finish your plan you’ll tell me, right?’

‘I will. And if you don’t like it we’ll think of something else.’

‘Alright! I have to go. There’s homework to do… See you tomorrow!’

‘See you tomorrow! (ᵔᴥᵔ)’

Ludwig signed. ‘Is he really going to take care of this? Should I trust him?’ Ludwig wondered.

Ivan got up and went to Natalia’s bedroom, he sighed and opened the door. Natalia was on her desk writing something.

“Big brother… Do you need something?” Natalia asked.

“Yes… I need a favor.” Ivan replied.

“A favor?” Natalia giggled. “This will be interesting.”

**Author's Note:**

> So what do you guys think? The next chapter will be released in one or two weeks thanks for reading!


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